Abu Dhabi: The late Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine will be honoured during the second Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF), held in Abu Dhabi from October 10 to 19, with a photo exhibition of his life. The exhibition was one of MEIFF's initiatives this year announced Vice Chairman of the festival, Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei.
"Chahine is one of the markers of cinematic art and was one of the greatest symbols of Arabic cinema in the world in close to half a century," quotes Al Mazrouei.
Executive Director Nashwa Al Ruwaini quotes, "The exhibitions contains 100 frames of tens of rare photos and rare artifacts that will be held in one of the halls of the Emirates Palace and which was prepared in Cairo by a team of experts in film exhibitions."
The famous artist Naji Shaker designed each of the 100 frames while MEIFF Creative team, will organize the design and lighting of the exhibition.
The opening of the exhibition will be held at 8 p.m. on Saturday October 11 and will be attended by a number of stars who have worked with the late Director of the years. Among the attendees will be Egyptian actresses Yusra and Leila Alawi and Lubluba, Egyptian actor Saif Abdelrahman, film Director Khaled Youssef and screenwriter Nasser Abdel Rahman in addition to some members of Chahine's family including his nephew, the manager of his production company, Gabi Khoury, and his niece, Producer and Director Marian Khoury.
The Venice Film Festival, one of the leading film festivals around the world, now in its 65th year, has dedicated their festival to Youssef Chahine and recently screened the film "Cairo Station," a 1958 classic that Chahine starred in and directed, as a tribute to the him.
Youssef Chahine, who passed away in Cairo on July 27, was one of the greatest Arab directors of all time. He had been active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950 and had directed over 40 films over the course of his career, making him the leading voice of Arabic cinema for more than half a century.
MEIFF, held in Abu Dhabi, is an annual event and a project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). The festival is a cultural event dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films and programs to the community and introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region.
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Hana Al-Hirsi
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© Press Release 2008
